Rotary gas-engine.



, PATENTED swirls, v1904. L. D. TOLIVER. ROTARY GAS ENGINE. -Pr'LIcATIoN Hum oo'r. 14. 190s.

2 SHEETS-SHEET .1.

N0 MODEL.

IIIIIIIIIIU N10.'769,363. I PATBNTED SEPT. 6, 1904.

` v L. D. TOLIVER.

RoTARYA GAS ENGINE. APPLICATION FILED 00T.14,1903.

N0` MODEL. l 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

l alftoznut rra-769,363.

j i STATES Patented September 6, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE. y

vfLonnNZo n. roLivER, or ABILENE, KANSAS, ASSIGNoR or ONE-HALF To `WILLIAM H. nicHoLrZ, or ABiLnNE,v KANSAS.

ROTARY GAS-ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 769,363, dated September 6, 1904.

' i Appleman flied october 14,1903. Seriana 177,027. (No model.)

i To a/ZZ Ulli/omit 'W1/ay concern:

i Be it known that I, LORENZO D. ToLIvnR, a

citizen of the United States, residing ati-Abr.

lene, in the county of Dickinson and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and Vuseful Improvements in Rotary Gas- Engines, of which the following is a speciiication.V My invention relates to rotary gas-engines,

and belongs particularly to that type or class of reciprocating-piston explosive-engines in which the heads of two or more single-acting engine-cylinders are located toward the common lcenter* of revolution. y The' cylinders themselves are radially placed and are swung around circularly bysuitable gearing during the operation of the engine.

. The object of my invention is the production of a rotary gas-engine in the class Stated of particular construction,vwlierebythecylinder-heads are brought practically together at the center, resulting in a saving of Weight and expense of construction and permitting a Special arrangement of valve-'ports and igniting mechanism, as more fully setforth hereinbelow. j

Of the accompanying drawings, wherein like numbers refer to lilreparts in the several views, Figure 1 represents a vertical section of my invention on a plane vparallel with the Sides of the casing and cutting the. cylinders longitu-` dinally. Fig. 2 is ahorizontal cross-section on a plane perpendicular to the sides of the casing, also cutting the cylinders lengthwise.

lFig. 3 shows an external side view of my invention. Fig. 4 is a vertical cross-section of a modification or extension of the casing or revolving housing; and Fig. 5 is an end view of one of the cylinders, showing the diametrical valve-port. l

Considering the drawings, numeral 1 marks a bed-plate or base of anyconvenient form or weight, arising from which are twin standards 2, supporting the bearings 3 for a fixed hollow shaft 4, upon which the working parts revolve. `Inclosing the working partsl is a pulley-shaped or cylindrical casing 5, of which the face or periphery is designated by numeral 6 and the removable side by numeral 7 The face 6 is in all respects the surface of a pulley, and it is intended to be belted to neighboring machinery to which power is to be applied. This peripheral. portion may be made somewhat heavier than customary in order to carry out one feature of its oice, that of acting as fly-wheel for the engine. It is, however, not necessary to introduce much rim weight, as there are lother revolving parts and the momentum of-all acts in place of the customary fly-wheel.

Within the casing and usually placed against one side isa large gear 8, secured to the fixed shaft 4, and two smaller gears 9 and 10 meshing with the large gear and one-half the size thereof. VThe smaller gears are secured to the crank-shafts 11 and 12, which are journaled in bearings 13 and 14 in thecasing. (See Figs. 2`and 4.) It will be noted here that the engaged gears mentioned are covered by a removable face-plate, and in practice'the Vface-plate is made to fit oil-tight in order that the gearing may run in oil and prevent wear. A ange 15 following the general circular outline of the gears stands upon the back of the casing 5, and the removable face-plate 15a has the same shape and is suitably attached to the iiange. Numbers 16 and 17 designate the cylinders, of whichthere be two `or more. The two cylinders illustrated j oiu in a common head 18,

located at the center of' revolution and provided with a transverse sleeve 19, tting the hollow shaft 4 movably and upon and about which the whole turns. vthe sleeve ,19 are the valve ports 20 and 2l opening into the cylinders. (See Fig.l .1.) Within the cylinders are the piston-heads 22 vand 23, pivotally coupled with crank shafts 11 and 12 by pitman -rods24 and,V 25, all of customary construction and arrangement.

` In'Fig. 4 it is shown that the interior of the Through the Sides of y hollow shaft 4 is divided transversely by an inclined partition 26, and the port'marked 27 at the right of the partition is usually the exhaust-port, while that referred to by number 28 on theleft of the partition is the inhalationport. Therefore the explosive gases are drawn in from the left and expelled to the right through the hollow shaft in the form of my invention illustrated, although the arrangement may obviously be reversed. The righthand elbow 29 on hollow shaft 4 may be connected to any convenient exhaust-pipe and the left-hand elbow with any suitable supply of gas and air mixture.

The valve-ports in the cylinder ends extend Adiametrically across, as shown in Fig. 5, and

as the cylinders are in all respects duplicates and behave precisely the same during the cycle of operations by following the course of one that of its fellow will be sufficiently explained.

In Fig. 1 the right-hand cylinder contains its regular charge of compressed gaseous mixture and the explosion takes place. 'Ihe revolving fly-wheel casing throws the crank off center and the pressure turns the small gearwheel on the stationary larger and central gear, thus propelling the casing and the cylinders as well-for example, in the direction of the arrow. When the cylinder reaches the vertical attitude, its piston has arrived at the limit of its outward movement and further rotation forces the piston inwardly. At the same time the greater part of the cylinder end port becomes uncovered and opens into the exhaustport 27, and the burned charge is expelled by the time the cylinder comes into a horizontal position directly opposite that from which it started. Further rotation brings the greater portion of the cylinder-port into communication with the intake-port 28. and a new charge is drawn in to be compressed and fired as the cylinder again attains the horizontal initial situation. In explanation of the fact that in exhausting and inhaling the greater portion of the cylinder port is open it may be said that, as shown in Fig. 4, the ports in hollow shaft 4 are both greater in length than half the diameter of the cylinder, owing to the inclination of partition 26.

The charges of mixed gas and air are ignited by means of the cell 30'and inductioncoil 31, provided with the rheotome 32. Insulated conductors 33 enter the cylinders, (see Fig. 1,) in which one is shown through a lateral extension 34 of the cylinders, and the conductors are connected with the contacts 35 on the outside of the easing. A brush 36, secured to collar 37 on shaft 4, and thereby adjustable sidewise or circularly, touches the contacts, which are diametrieally placed, and explodes the charge as the cylinders alternately revolve into the proper position. I do not confine myself to any particular form of igniting device.

To ventilate the interior of the casing and keep the cylinders from becoming overheated, the removable side 7 of the casing is provided with a series of apertures 38 near the center of revolution and another series of apertures 39 near the rim. The rapidly-rotating parts act as a centrifugal blower, taking air in from the exterior at apertures 38 and discharging at the outer apertures 39.

In Fig. 4 is shown an extension of the pulley-casing by forming in the rear side the gear-housing 40. This recess pai-takes of the shape of the combined gears, (see Fig. 2,) being in that respect like fiange 15, and the face-plate 15a covers the gears oil-tight, as before. An exterior view of this extension 40 of the casing appears in Fig. 3.

Having thus sufciently described my in vention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. In a rotary gas-engine, the combination with a revoluble closed casing having at one side a gear-housing compartment, fixed and movable gears arranged within said compartment, a cover and cover-attaching means for closing said compartment, crank-shafts journaled in said easing and secured to said movable gears, and revoluble gas-engine cylinders within said casing having pistons adapted to operate said crank-shafts, the said closed casing having centrally-disposed orifices through its side opposite the gear-housing whereby external air is drawn in to cool the cylinders, said casing having also peripheral orifices for discharging the air, substantially as described.

2. In a rotary gas-engine, the combination with a revoluble closed easing having at one side a gear-housing compartment, a larger fixed gear and smaller movable gears arranged within said compartment, a cover adapted to close said compartment within the casing and means for securing said cover, crank-shafts journaled in said casing and secured to said movable gears, and revoluble gas-engine cylinders provided with pistons adapted to operate said crank-shafts, said cylinders having their heads arranged at the center of revolution, the said closed casing having centrallydisposed orifices whereby external air is admitted directly upon the cylinders to cool them, said easing having also peripheral discharge-orifices, substantially as described.

3. In a rotary gas-engine, the combination with a revoluble closed casing having at one side a gear-housing compartment, said compartmenthaving a form corresponding to the combined circular area of the gears, a larger fixed gear and smaller movable gears arranged within said compartment, a cover adapted to close said compartment within the casing and IOO means for securing' said cover, crank-shafts journaled in said l'casing and secured. to said;

movable-gears, and revoluble gas-engine cylinders radially disposed and provided with pistons adapted to operate said crank-shafts, said cylinders having their heads abutting; at the center of revolution, thesaid closed easing having centrally-disposed orifices Where' 5 by external air is admitted directly upon the R. A. BRoWN,' s JoHN JACOBY. 

